Texas A&M Aggies: lsu football

Several of RecruitingNation's SEC sites will look this week at the players headed to the NFL combine, which begins Friday in Indianapolis, and other predraft camps. Today: Defensive linemen and linebackers.

Texas A&M's defense was a question mark coming into the 2012 season, but those questions were answered definitively as the Aggies became a solid defensive squad, thanks in large part to three players who will be participating in the combine:

DE Damontre Moore (Position rank: No. 4)
Strengths: Explosiveness and production. Moore was a handful for opposing offensive tackles this year because of his quickness and explosiveness as a pass-rusher. He has good speed for his size and position; that could be seen against Mississippi State when he chased down receiver Chris Smith from behind on a 42-yard completion. He was near the top nationally in sacks and tackles for loss.
Weaknesses: He can be too aggressive in his pursuit occasionally, although he has good instincts. A year ago, inconsistency might have been a concern and there also might have been character questions because of an arrest for marijuana possession before his sophomore season, but neither appear to be issues now. He seems to have matured and has become a consistent, day-in and day-out player under Kevin Sumlin.
Comparison: Todd McShay compared Moore to Atlanta defensive end John Abraham. They have similar frames (both are 6-4, Abraham is about 15 pounds heavier than Moore's 248), and both are quick and fit well as 4-3 defensive ends.

OLB Sean Porter (Position rank: No. 12)
Strengths: He's durable, reliable and became a leader for the Aggies. Showed good speed when serving as a pass-rusher in 2011. He is quick and can close quickly. Good instincts, versatile talent.
Weaknesses: Doesn't excel in coverage, though he has showed improvement in that area. Could be a more physical player and more consistent overall.
Comparison:Lance Briggs. About the same height as Porter, though a little bigger in weight, Briggs has good range and is a playmaker. It might be too much to say Porter will be at the level of Briggs (seven-time Pro Bowl player), but he should fit in nicely as a versatile starting weakside linebacker for someone.

LB Jonathan Stewart (Position rank: No. 16)
Strengths: Smart player with good size for his position. Shows good instincts as he's often around the ball. Was one of the leaders on A&M's defense this year.
Weaknesses: Not a dominant playmaking presence. Has speed but not tremendously explosive.
Comparison:Kirk Morrison. Stewart should be a solid, though not flashy, linebacker in a 4-3 scheme which is what Morrison has been throughout his career with Oakland and Buffalo. Both are of similar size and frame.

The heart of the Gators’ 2012 defense will participate in the combine today. DT Sharrif Floyd, whose stock is rising rapidly as he is projected to be taken as high as No. 3, had a fantastic season and anchored UF’s front. He dominated Florida State’s front, and his mixture of size, strength and quickness has scouts drooling. ILB Jon Bostic started every game the past two seasons and was UF’s leader on defense. Nobody was more dependable than Bostic. OLB Jelani Jenkins was limited in 2012 because of a broken finger, a strained hamstring and a broken foot, but when healthy he’s a solid player. OLB Lerentee McCray was forced into action at the buck position (hybrid end/linebacker) because of the injury to Ronald Powell. He didn’t produce big numbers but was a high-effort, high-motor guy.

Texas A&M could have sent two tackles into the draft and both would have probably ended up as first-round picks. Luke Joeckel chose to declare, but Jake Matthews chose to return to Aggieland for another year. Joeckel, the Outland Trophy winner this year, will be rewarded as a possible top-five selection -- and possibly No.1 overall.

Texas A&M's best draft-eligible talent wasn't at the offensive skill positions, but the Aggies offer some nice players who will hear their names called at some point during the NFL draft. Perhaps the Aggies' two best offensive players were redshirt freshmen in quarterback Johnny Manziel and receiver Mike Evans, both of whom appear to have NFL futures in the long run. Meanwhile, these two players who produced impressively during their careers at Texas A&M, are worth keeping an eye on:

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- As ESPN 150 defensive end Tim Williams (Baton Rouge, La./ University Lab) nears national signing day, all that remains between him and choosing a school is a few official visits.

ESPN 150 defensive tackle Justin Manning (Dallas/Kimball) said via Twitter and confirmed via text message that he did not make the trip over the weekend to LSU to watch the LSU-Alabama game.

It also appears that Manning’s process now comes down to three schools -- and LSU isn’t one of them.

Manning, No. 89 in the ESPN 150, said via text that the interest with LSU has taken a different path, but he is now focusing on Oklahoma, Texas A&M and TCU. He would not comment on whether he separated himself from LSU or LSU pulled his offer.

Two second-quarter turnovers led to two touchdowns and helped No. 6 LSU erase a 12-point second-quarter deficit for a 24-19 SEC win at Kyle Field on Saturday. Despite a 410-316 yardage edge for the Aggies, No. 18 Texas A&M had five turnovers, including three interceptions for Manziel, who completed 29 of 56 passes for 276 yards.

It was over when: LSU running back Jeremy Hill took a power run 47 yards for a touchdown with 3:12 left. The play was eerily similar to his 50-yard touchdown that gave the Tigers a 23-21 win over South Carolina last week. Manziel was intercepted by LSU's Tharold Simon on the play before -- Manziel's third of the game, doubling his season total.

Game ball goes to: Hill, the LSU true freshman running back who rambled for 127 yards on 18 carries, again breaking out the big run when the game was on the line.

Key stat: 5-0. The turnover margin. After LSU gave up a first-quarter touchdown drive and a field goal drive, the Tigers figured out A&M's spread offense, harassed slippery Manziel and forced turnovers. Texas A&M jumped to a 9-0 first-quarter lead that increased to 12-0 in the second quarter, but it did not score another touchdown until the game's final two minutes.

Key play: Zach Mettenberger's 29-yard touchdown pass to Kadron Boone with 11 seconds left in the first half. After the Aggies had dominated the half, Boone made a nice double move, then a diving catch to give LSU a shocking 14-12 halftime lead.
The touchdown was set up by a Ben Malena fumble, forced by Ronald Martin and recovered by Lamin Barrow.

What it means: Ready or not, LSU (7-1, 3-1) has its showdown with No. 1 Alabama in two weeks, and the Tigers will have a lot to work on in their off week. The Tigers had triple-digit penalty yards and, as has often been the case, could not move the chains consistently.

Texas A&M (4-2, 2-2) is now 0-2 against the SEC powers, both close losses at home. The Aggies have shown they belong, but maybe aren't quite ready for prime time.

Gary Laney writes: The LSU Tigers are banking on their experience so far this season against dual-threat QBs to help them contain Texas A&M’s Johnny Manziel, one of the nation's most dangerous players.

It took some fight and many dramatic twists and turns Saturday, but eventually, No. 22 Texas A&M escaped Independence Stadium in Shreveport, La., with a 59-57 win over No. 23 Louisiana Tech. With the win, the no. 22 Aggies (5-1) have now won five straight and will prepare for a showdown with LSU (6-1) next weekend at Kyle Field. But before we jump to that, let's look back at the high and low points of the Aggies' win:

THREE UP

1. Johnny Manziel: After a tough day against Mississippi, the redshirt freshman quarterback dazzled again. He broke his own Texas A&M and SEC total offense record, which he set against Arkansas two weeks ago, compiling 576 total yards (395 passing, 181 rushing) and accounting for six touchdowns (three passing, three rushing). He made a critical mistake, throwing an interception to Shakeil Lucas, but Manziel bounced back by leading two consecutive touchdown drives to give the Aggies a 15-point lead.

Two-sport star Trey Quinn (Lake Charles, La./Barbe) opted to take the summer off from one of his sports, baseball, to concentrate on what may be his better sport, football.

That decision is starting to pay off.

After receiving an offer from LSU at the end of LSU's summer camp on Wednesday, the Class of 2014 wide receiver rode with his father to College Station, Texas, to a visit to Texas A&M Thursday. There, he received an offer from Aggies coach Kevin Sumlin.

FORT WORTH, Texas -- TCU held its second summer camp, and on a hot Friday afternoon, the Horned Frogs coaching staff had a chance to see a large number of solid athletes.

With more than 300 skill-position players at Friday’s camp, it was difficult for anyone to shine above the rest. However, there were players who caught the attention of coaches and recruiting analysts. Here are 10 players, listed in alphabetical order, to keep an eye on throughout the rest of the summer, as well as the fall.

2014 CB Cedric Collins (Dallas/Skyline): Collins has been one of the most talked-about players since his play last season, and he is considered one of the heavyweights in a very talented 2014 class of defensive backs. Collins didn’t disappoint Friday, and he’s continuing to watch his stock rise. Collins has offers from Texas A&M, Oklahoma, Notre Dame, West Virginia, Kansas State and several other programs.

2013 RB Bryan Driskell (McKinney, Texas/Boyd): Driskell, the running back MVP of the Dallas Nike Football Training Camp in March, looked like a new player. He’s put on about 10 pounds of muscle since the start of the 2011 season but is still a consistent 4.4 threat in the 40-yard dash. Navy has offered Driskell, who has fully overcome a nagging hamstring injury.